At altitude...

An alarm should never start beeping at 5am…unless it’s super important, like a big race or an exciting trip.  The fact that I was merely waking up for a morning run before a work day in Albuquerque, New Mexico certainly didn’t stop that alarm.

Compound the early wake up with a city that sits more than a mile above sea level.  For those of us who train at roughly sea level, altitude can be an unaccustomed challenge. 

A couple years ago I spent a few weeks off and on out here for a school and remember the first couple days of a week always felt like there was a weight on my lungs.  I was a bit light headed, winded by a simple set of stairs and working to catch a good breath.  Add a workout onto that. 

While I was receiving my certification as a running coach we had a conversation about racing at altitude.   The general wisdom was to arrive several days early to acclimate.  I would say I missed the boat on that one…but it was an light workout and no one was timing me, so oh well.  It wasn’t too bad.

Altitude behind me, I climb on yet another plane today to take me to Omaha, Nebraska.  If I can squeeze in a run, I will have nothing but super flat, close to sea level ground in front of me.  Happy trails!

Stats -

Miles:  3.5

Time:  30:15
Location:  Albuquerque, New Mexico
Feeling:  my lungs long for sea level